Missionary Rider Posted June 5, 2008 Share #1 Posted June 5, 2008 I've been hesitant to publicize it but Brenda and I leave tomorrow (June 5) for the ride of a lifetime. 1st Leg: Little Rock to Denver (preaching there Sunday) then Yellowstone. After two days in the park, on to Lewiston, ID & Spokane WA for church meetings. Then a few days in Olympia WA (preaching again and visiting with missionary friends) with a quick visit to Canada. 2nd Leg: Olympia WA to Rapid City SD to visit Mt Rushmore and preach for a friend. From there a hard fast ride to Sykesville MD (near DC) to spend a week with my daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandkids. 3rd Leg: From MD back to Little Rock via the Blueridge parkway with a 5 day stopover to visit aged parents in AL. In all, we will hit 22 states and be on the road for 7 weeks. Except for the ride from SD to MD, we plan on taking it relatively easy with a few days on the road and then a few days visiting with friends. The Piggybacker XL is loaded and we are exicted. Maybe we'll see some of you along the way. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hipshot Posted June 5, 2008 Share #2 Posted June 5, 2008 man, what a whirlwind trip! may you have a wonderful , safe , trip! viya con dios! just jt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GigaWhiskey Posted June 5, 2008 Share #3 Posted June 5, 2008 OMG, can we say we are JEALOUS! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orrin Posted June 5, 2008 Share #4 Posted June 5, 2008 Have a great time and stay safe and well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mini-muffin Posted June 5, 2008 Share #5 Posted June 5, 2008 Have a great time and a safe trip. Don't forget the VR assistance list just in case you need something or just someone to have a meal with. Margaret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Naked Rider Posted June 5, 2008 Share #6 Posted June 5, 2008 there was a post on here yesterday about the blue ridge park way been shut down in one section so you might want to check it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royalstarjac Posted June 5, 2008 Share #7 Posted June 5, 2008 Sounds like a great way to spend the summer! Ride safe and don't forget to take a lot of pics!-Jack:080402gudl_prv: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibvel Posted June 5, 2008 Share #8 Posted June 5, 2008 Bring your rain gear up this way. Supposed to be chilly and rainy all day today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kenw Posted June 5, 2008 Share #9 Posted June 5, 2008 Have a great time, and as the saying goes"TAKE PICTURES"!!!!!! Kenw Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmodel Posted June 5, 2008 Share #10 Posted June 5, 2008 Don't forget the sun block to protect those exposed parts! 22 States and 7 weeks..... man that sounds like phun!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB-1 Posted June 5, 2008 Share #11 Posted June 5, 2008 I've been hesitant to publicize it but Brenda and I leave tomorrow (June 5) for the ride of a lifetime. 1st Leg: Little Rock to Denver (preaching there Sunday) then Yellowstone. After two days in the park, on to Lewiston, ID & Spokane WA for church meetings. Then a few days in Olympia WA (preaching again and visiting with missionary friends) with a quick visit to Canada. 2nd Leg: Olympia WA to Rapid City SD to visit Mt Rushmore and preach for a friend. From there a hard fast ride to Sykesville MD (near DC) to spend a week with my daughter, son-in-law and 3 grandkids. 3rd Leg: From MD back to Little Rock via the Blueridge parkway with a 5 day stopover to visit aged parents in AL. In all, we will hit 22 states and be on the road for 7 weeks. Except for the ride from SD to MD, we plan on taking it relatively easy with a few days on the road and then a few days visiting with friends. The Piggybacker XL is loaded and we are exicted. Maybe we'll see some of you along the way. Lynn We live on or very near part of your 2nd Leg Route, so give us a call if you need anything, including riding company, when passing this way. Our phone number is in the VR Assistance list. Bring warm clothes & rain gear as our drought is over and we're setting precipitation records. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gibvel Posted June 5, 2008 Share #12 Posted June 5, 2008 I'm probably on the 1st leg myself. Don't know what your plans are for going from Denver to Yellowstone but, if you're running up I-25 on Sunday afternoon, let me know and we can get together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeorgeS Posted June 5, 2008 Share #13 Posted June 5, 2008 --- Be sure you have them in the North West Mountain States. Its been running 10 deg. below normal, and its been Raining raining raining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missionary Rider Posted June 7, 2008 Author Share #14 Posted June 7, 2008 We checked the forecast before leaving Vilonia (30 miles N of Little Rock) and saw the forecast for Hail and damaging wind in Tulsa - our planned overnight. Instead, we stopped in Sallisaw, OK, even though it made a very short first day. I couldn't leave till I finished the yardwork anyway. The change worked! We had NO RAIN in Sallisaw and passed through Tulsa in the dry. We rode no rain today at all. What we did have was horrendous wind. For 100 miles it was to our back, heavenly. The rest of the time it really beat us up. I had planned on staying in the tent tonight in Wakeeny, KS but the 30-35mph winds were not condusive to tents so we rode on to the next KOA to stay in a Kabin. These things are nice. I may never get Brenda into that tent! 635+miles today and we enjoyed it, even with the wind. Tomorrow we'll make a leisurely 200 mile ride to Thornton (Denver) CO. Sunday is a work day (the Lord's Work) for me and we'll be back on the road Monday. God is Good! Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB-1 Posted June 7, 2008 Share #15 Posted June 7, 2008 Looks like someone needs to color a few more states on their map! Wyoming weather for next week looks preety good, but a bit on the cool side. Have agreat ride, and YES, GOD is GOOD...all the time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sling Posted June 9, 2008 Share #16 Posted June 9, 2008 My wife Peggy and I rode up to Ashville,NC. from Augusta,Ga. Saturday morning. We were going to pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway in Ashville. The parkway is closed from Mile marker 380 up to approx Mile marker 340 (Follow the detour signs). We got on just north of Mt.Mitchell. Rode it up to Blowing Rock,NC. (where it is closed to just north of Boone,NC) We then made it up to Lexington,Va. where we are spending the night tonight. We are going to finish the ride on the BlueRidge Parkway tomorrow and then do the Skyline drive to Front Royal,Va. From there we are going to Ride back down to Ashville and pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway to Cherokee,NC. We are planning to ride over to Chattanooga,TN. Then down to Acworth,Ga.to visit our son and his family then back to Augusta,Ga. Info on rode closing found here : http://www.virtualblueridge.com/news-and-events/news-260.asp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
captnmidnight Posted June 9, 2008 Share #17 Posted June 9, 2008 Truly sounds like the trip of a life time! Take lots of pics for yourself and the rest of us! Looking forward to reading more about your trip in the weeks ahead. Please be carefull and enjoy this wonderfull country we've been blessed with. I'm envious. Hopefully I will be able to have the time to do that someday. Enjoy,and keep in touch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missionary Rider Posted June 11, 2008 Author Share #18 Posted June 11, 2008 Well, we lost Yellowstone to snow in the passes. Instead, we rode to Billings and visited the Little Big Horm Battlefield and Museum in Hardin, MT. Leaving there and to our KOA Kabin in Greycliffe, we rode winds that were reported to be 70mph gusts! Sure is rough on the fuel mileage! We left Greycliffe this morning. The Lord just delivered us over two 6,000 foot passes covered with snow. The first, Bozeman Pass, was really nerve wracking. The road was narrow and the traffic was really heavy. Snow was falling and piling up on the sides of the road but there didn’t seem to be any ice on the road. What a blessing it was when we started down the west side and the snow turned to rain again. We rode through downtown Bozeman and I noticed a car that had followed us through the pass following us into town. I thought, “Lord, is that an angel you sent to follow us to watch over us?” Laugh all you like. It was a comfort to know that he/she was back there and never tried to pass us even though I was going pretty slowly. It was like whoever it was had decided to keep an eye on us. When we stopped at a gas station at the edge of Bozeman, God sent us some more help. One guy told us the weather forecast and the number to call for road conditions. Then another man came along who said he had also followed us over the pass and pulled into the gas station behind us. He convinced us we were wasting our time going to Virginia City (our tourist destination for the day). He runs a brochure business and visits all the tourist sites. He said that 10 years ago, Virginia City was a great place but that now it is a waste of time (no doubt someone here will disagree). He was there on Monday and said there were 3 people in the whole town and that it would be worse today because of the cold weather. I didn’t get his name but I think it was Angel. We took his advice and headed back to the interstate to go West toward Missoula. The second pass, Pipestone Pass, didn’t look as threatening as the first. We had been told it would be no big deal. When we approached the pass, an orange warning light was flashing to tell us to check an AM weather broadcast. The broadcast said the pass was receiving snow, that there was ice on the road and it was packed with snow. We were meeting 18 wheelers and a few RVs and there was a big triple trailer rig behind us and he wasn’t stopping, so I decided to try to get over the pass. The scenery was beautiful until it started snowing so hard that we couldn’t see anything but the road in front of us – and not much of that. On the first mountain pass, my windshield got a few spots of ice on it but on the second, it was totally covered with snow. Whiteout! The only way I could see to drive was to reach around with my glove and wipe off a small corner so I could see. Thankfully, though the snow was HEAVY and piling up on he shoulders, there was no ice or sluch on the road. Again we were grateful when we started down but this time the snow didn’t stop! We pulled into the first Butte, Montana, exit and found a Wendy’s for chili and a sandwich. After a week on the road staying at KOAs Brenda said she didn't want to wade the snow to an outside toilet tonight. I called the local Comfort Inn and booked a room. They only had one room which they gave us at the rate of the room I asked for – a huge discount. We are in the BRIDAL SUITE!! Isn’t God good! The desk clerk even let us park the bike on the sidewalk under an awning by the front door so that it can be seen from the front desk. We are NOT going to Missoula today and the forecast doesn’t look too good for tomorrow either. We will rest here and see what the weather looks like tomorrow. We are only 340 miles from Lewiston, ID and we can do that in half-a-day if we need to. We want to be in Lewiston Friday night and that looks very doable. Drastically improved weather is forecast for Friday. Again, thanks for your prayers. Pray for clearing weather and continued safety. Lynn Missionary Rider Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB-1 Posted June 11, 2008 Share #19 Posted June 11, 2008 WOW! What a ride! Ain't GOD absolutely Fantastic?!!! Give us a call when you pass this way. If you have time, and don't mind riding on a little gravel, we can arrange a steak diner that beats anything you could buy in any restaurant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missionary Rider Posted July 16, 2008 Author Share #20 Posted July 16, 2008 Brenda and I are in our easy chairs at home. We put in over 8,000 miles and enjoyed the trip more than we could possibly describe. We were blessed to be able to spend seven weeks doing this and so spend a week with our kids and grandkids in the Baltimore area and then another week with elderly parents in Alabama. We did Yellowstone, Sturgis/Mt Rushmore/the Badlands as well as the Blue Ridge Parkway and Deals Gap all in one long trip. A friend said the bike would be for sale when we got home. It is NOT. In fact, we're dreaming of another trip some day soon. I never had to call on VR assistance but what a blessing to know you were there (and so am I if I'm needed). Neither did I get to meet many of you along the way. There just wasn't time. Yes, I know I need to redo my map and add those last two "new" states. I just couldn't wait to share my joy with this group - people I know will understand our excitement over a once-in-a-lifetime kind of ride. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbran Posted July 16, 2008 Share #21 Posted July 16, 2008 Bout time you checked back in. Glad you enjoyed it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timk Posted July 17, 2008 Share #22 Posted July 17, 2008 I'm envious, I'm retired, and haven't been out for 7 weeks. Glad you made it safe with lots of memories. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spear Posted July 17, 2008 Share #23 Posted July 17, 2008 Hey Lynn. Sounds like one heck of a ride. Well done. When ya coming back Down Under? Love to catch up. Have my elder son's wedding in Beenleigh in September. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Missionary Rider Posted July 17, 2008 Author Share #24 Posted July 17, 2008 Hey Lynn. Sounds like one heck of a ride. Well done. When ya coming back Down Under? Love to catch up. Have my elder son's wedding in Beenleigh in September. Man, we are missing the Gold Coast! The church there is in the process of getting a new pastor. That will delay our return for a while. Normally, we are there every-other-year but now it looks like we may not make it back there for about 18 months. Hopefully we can get together for a ride during the months I'm there. Lynn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spear Posted July 20, 2008 Share #25 Posted July 20, 2008 Man, we are missing the Gold Coast! The church there is in the process of getting a new pastor. That will delay our return for a while. Normally, we are there every-other-year but now it looks like we may not make it back there for about 18 months. Hopefully we can get together for a ride during the months I'm there. Lynn I look forward to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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